Volatile
by OhHeyJackTheRipper
Summary: In a world of things that cannot exist, Ren Steele finds herself in one of the darkest places struggling to understand the magnitude of her own power and which side she wants to be on. M for language, gore and adult themes. I've also not improved my summary writing skills.
1. Chapter 1

"What are you still doing here this late?" My boss, Tony, asked as he stopped and rested an elbow casually on the front desk. I looked up from the last minute booking I had been securing to reply,

"Just had to finalize some details." I replied easily with a small smile. Tony sighed softly and gave me a sympathetic smile,

"Well, don't be too long. I hate leaving you hear alone." he said pushing his black framed glasses up, "Especially after all these attacks that have been going on. It's dangerous for a woman to go home alone nowadays."

I laughed lightly, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm pretty tough. Besides, I'm not going home alone." Right on cue, my best friend and coworker arrived via elevator and made her way to the desk.

"Oh, you were still here too, Miss Evans?" Tony greeted her, "Well, even if you two are going home together, it would be safer if you were with a man. Are you sure I can't give you a ride?"

Cait shook her head, her honey brown pony tail swung back and forth, "We'll be fine, sir. Nothing to worry about. Ren carries a knife in her bag anyway."

"Really?!" Tony asked, his almond eyes going wide at her confession. I looked away, a little embarrassed about my safety precautions, and continued typing feverishly on the keyboard.

"I admit, that gives me more piece of mind than I like." he said with a chuckle before saying goodnight and going out to the car park. I sighed as Cait leaned her elbows on the desk and waited patiently.

"I'm nearly done." I told her, she nodded and flipped open a brochure. After a few more minutes, I finished up the booking, turned off all the lights and locked the big glass door before heading to the train station. As usual, there was rarely any people on the train this time of night, so Cait and I had almost a whole carriage to ourselves. The ride was only half an hour, but when after a long day answering telephones and dealing with people, it felt more like several hours. Eventually we reached out stop and began the short walk home.

It was just becoming winter, the cool autumn air was beginning to get more of a bite to it, especially around 11pm at night. As we walking the few blocks home, a particularly cold breeze blew around us and I got the feeling someone, or something, was watching us. I stopped and glanced behind me, obviously there was nothing down the long abandoned street. Yet I could feel a pair of sinister eyes staring right at me.

"Ren?" Cait asked, calling me back to her. I shook my head to get the feeling away.

"Sorry, I had a weird feeling." I told her quietly. Cait shivered automatically and wrapped her arms around her shoulders,

"Don't tell me stuff like that!" she complained, "You know I hate it when you do that." I gave her a reassuring smile,

"Sorry. It's nothing." I said and began walking again. Yet, as much as I denied it the feeling wouldn't go away. Instead it only seemed to grow. Two blocks away from our apartment, that same cold air rushed at me as I crossed the road. There was something else, something hidden within the air that held me fast to my place. I looked down the long, shadowed road. There was definitely something there.

"Hey Cait, I think I forgot something at work." I said, making an excuse. Cait sighed and turned on her heel,

"Are you serious?" she moaned, "We're almost home, can't it wait?"

I shook my head, "It's kinda important. I'll be fine on my own though, I have my phone and my knife should something happen." Cait looked at me like she didn't believe a word I said.

"Look, if I'm not home within an hour, call me. If I don't answer, then call the police, okay?" I asked giving in to her. She pursed her lips but nodded, knowing there was no way this could be resolved. I began walking back the way we came until she had gone out of sight, then jogged back to where I'd felt something weird. The strange feeling was still there when I got back. Frowning, I made my way down the street. The air became heavier with each step, almost making it hard to breathe. There was something evil here, I could sense it.

A street lamp flickered and I caught the outline of a man with dark hair and a long while coat. I slowed even more so not to draw attention to myself. In front of the man stood another in a similar black outfit. He was on his knees, blood seeping from everywhere. I gasped and immediately regretted it. The kneeling man looked up over at me, his dark eyes wide with surprise and terror.

"Shit! A human!" He coughed and clutched his middle with a pained expression. The man in white glanced behind me, the air became filled with terrifying electricity. It pushed down on me heavily, and forced the kneeling man to whimper in total fear. Yet I stood firm - whatever was going on here, I wasn't going to run away.

The man in white seemed to smile before he struck out his hand toward the kneeling man, who collapsed onto the ground, dead. Slowly he turned to face me. My breathe caught - I couldn't believe my eyes. This man...this man couldn't exist!

"A-Aizen..." I managed to whisper although every rational thought in my brain was telling me that it wasn't. Still he smiled slightly and cocked a fine, brown eyebrow.

"This certainly is an odd night." he mused to himself in the darkness. I blinked. "It's not often a human sees me. It's even more rare that they know my name."

What ever was going on, whether this man was the real Aizen Sousuke or not, he was clearly still very dangerous. With my phone still in my hand, I quickly pressed Record.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, finally finding my voice. Aizen held his arm out behind him, indicating the dead man,

"What does it look like?" he replied as if I had just asked him the most obvious question in the world. I decided to play along,

"Killing Shinigami, I get that." I said, "What I don't understand is why you're here killing Shinigami when you could send one of your minions to do it for you."

Aizen chuckled, "Because sometimes they just don't get the job done." His mouth stretched into a predatory grin and I knew that it didn't matter if I played along with his delusions or not, this man was going to kill me. Despite my realization, I wasn't afraid.

He began walking towards me, his gaze curious, "You're a very remarkable woman. When faced with my reiatsu most would be terrified, yet you stand unfazed. Why aren't you afraid?"

I shrugged, "There's no reason to be afraid. You're Aizen Sousuke and I'm just a human, I'm no match for you. You're too powerful." As I spoke, Aizen began circling me like a vulture to it's prey. I watched him; he seemed intrigued and a little confused.

"You..." he sighed when he was standing before me once more, "You are certainly something else, woman."

"You're going to kill me then?" I asked already knowing his answer. Smiling that predatory smile, he pulled his sword from it's sheath,

"You're smart too." he said. Somehow it just didn't sound like a compliment, "I suppose I should ask if you have any last words, but there's no one really around to hear them."

"Still," I said quickly as my thumb moved across the screen of my phone to save the recording, "I'd like to." Aizen thought about my request for a second or two before shrugging,

"I don't see the harm in it." he stated before nodding to let me know it was okay. I moved my thumb over the voice activation button,

"My only regret was that I couldn't," I paused briefly and pressed the button down, my phone vibrated, letting me know it was ready for a command, "text Cait. Tell her goodbye, you know?"

"I'm afraid I don't." he replied. Suddenly another man appeared from out of the shadows, causing Aizen to turn around momentarily. I used his distraction to attach my recording to the text message and pressed send.

"Are you ready?" he asked turning his attention back to me. I squared my shoulders and lifted my head bravely,

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I asked and prepared myself for the pain of being cut down by his sword. Aizen smiled,

"No."

_**"I don't have a choice, do I?" the girl asked. He smiled,**_

_**"No." he answered and with blinding speed pressed the fuchi-kashira of his Zanpakutou to her forehead, releasing her soul from her body. The girl dropped soundlessly into his arms and he gently placed her body onto the ground.**_

_**"Aizen-sama." his subordinate called as he joined his master. Aizen looked from the dead girl's face to the same face of her spirit that was being cradled in the arms of his subordinate.**_

_**"Good. Let's go." he said and stood. Originally, he had no intention of taking anything back with him to Hueco Mundo, but this girl was fascinating. Instead of being paralyzed by fear when faced with his reiatsu, she'd moved towards it. She must have felt both his and the dead Shinigami's when they fought moments before she'd turned up. She was not normal and that made her a potential ace in his deck.**_

_**Kaname Tousen was waiting for him when they arrived back at Las Noches. He seemed more than surprised after discovering that Aizen had brought a gift with him, yet he didn't question him. The three walked down to the infirmary where Aizen swiftly set up a specialized medical pressure chamber that would stabilize her brain since forcibly removing her soul had caused coma like effects. The girl wouldn't waken for another few days at least and would probably suffer some kind of memory loss when she did wake up. Still, Aizen was more than pleased with his new card.**_

_**Closing the chamber lid, they left the girl in the hands of the healers.**_

Darkness. All I saw was darkness. I could feel nothing, smell nothing...sense nothing. It was like the world didn't exist anymore. I was alone, floating in the darkness. I wondered how I got to this place. Had I always been here, or was I simply here because I was? Would I remain in the dark forever? Would I notice forever, or had it already passed? What was existence and was I doing it now?

Suddenly, there was a small white light shining brightly against the darkness. Curious, I began moving towards it. As I got closer it became bigger and bigger. Darkness became grey and then I could see my hands outstretched before me. My hearing returned slowly and I heard low voices talking.

"...Kinda pathetic."

"Her readings show otherwise."

"Tch. Medical bullshit means nothing to me."

That voice. I'd heard it before. I began moving faster and faster towards the light, rushing forward as if my life depended on it. Then finally, I was through! My body buzzed with sensation. I was lying on something soft and spongy. The air was cool without being freezing. Slowly I blinked open my eyes, squinting as the bright light shone down on me. When my vision cleared, I was greeted with a pair of intimidating light blue eyes with green lines accentuating them. Those eyes - I knew them from somewhere. The eyes narrowed skeptically at me.

"She's awake." It was the same voice from earlier - the voice that belonged to the eyes. Blinking, I became more aware of the face that framed the eyes. Smooth, pale skin, light blue eyebrows so thin they were almost non-existent, and spiked hair of the same shade.

"She's kinda creepin' me out." the blue hair said. My eyes continued to roam his face. He had a slender shaped face with high cheekbones. On one side of his face was a strange skeletal jaw.

_Jaw...That was it...something jaw...no._ I frowned, that didn't sound right. His mouth was pulled into a strange expression, something bordering on repulsion and curiosity. My gaze shifted back to the skeletal jaw section. It looked as though it was half of a grin.

_Grin...Grin...Grin Jaw...No. Grim, yes. That's it. Grim Jaw. _Again I frowned, it still didn't sound right. I continued to blink at him as the two words ran through my mind over and over again. _Grim Jaw. Grim. Jaw. Grim Jaw. Grimmj- Grimmjow! Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!_ Suddenly the air above me shifted and a lid I hadn't noticed was there opened. Still holding his cold gaze I sat up. This was not real.

Memories flooded my mind's eye, memories of a dark street and a strange man in a white coat. I remembered feeling a cold electrical shock run through my body and the butt of a sword.

Deciding to prove to myself whether this was reality or not, I grabbed hold of his ragged white jacket and pulled him to me. A shock ran through my body as my lips pressed hard against his very real ones. My eyes widened in surprise - he was real. This was real. I had been killed by a very real Aizen Sousuke, and now I was in a very real Las Noches. My mind returned to me and I felt strangely at ease with the whole situation.

Quickly, I released Grimmjow and pushed him back. I felt amazing - strong and weirdly powerful. I had just kissed Grimmjow freaking Jaegerjaquez! Reeling from my new sense of empowerment, I ran a hand through my white fringe.

"I have wanted to do that for ages." I said with a smirk as the number 6 Espada blinked at me. I swung my legs over the side of the tube I was in and half-walked half-skipped over to where Aizen stood looking at a monitor.

"You're more active than I thought you would be." He said turning to me. I grinned up at him and stood on my toes to twirl the brown strand of hair that hung down his forehead,

"And you're more tempting than I thought you would be." I commented, letting his hair fall from my finger.

"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are, bitch?!" Grimmjow demanded furiously from his place beside my tube. I began investigating the room I was in, looking for something to put on over what appeared to be underwear.

"Actually, I'm a little chilly." I replied nonchalantly as I pawed through random cupboards and draws until I finally found what looked to be a lab coat. Shrugging it on, I turned back to the two men,

"Oh, and my name's not Bitch. It's Ren." I winked causing Aizen to chuckle.

"Why you...!" Grimmjow growled.


	2. Chapter 2

I walked beside Aizen down the wide corridor. The stone floor was cold on my bare feet but it felt nice. I could feel Grimmjow's glare burning into my back as we walked in silence, our footsteps being the only sound. I grinned despite myself, still proud that I had managed to plant one on the unsuspecting man. However my smile dropped when two large doors opened before us at the end of the corridor, revealing a very large open space. I could feel the eyes of numerous creatures staring at me with disdain.

"Not so tough now, are you bitch?" Grimmjow growled lowly in my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin. I scoffed and squared my shoulders - was he kidding? A light flickered to life and revealed at least 30 Arrancar all mulling around the room. My eyes skimmed over all the faces to see the ones I recognized. At the far end of the room was a large chair, almost like a throne, and two Shinigami stood before it - a dark man with dark brown braids, and a silver haired man sporting a somewhat fake smile. My excitement soared seeing them - Tousen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin.

Aizen continued on towards his chair as Grimmjow and I followed silently. We were stopped just before the stairs by two girls, one sporting dark pig tails and the other had short blonde hair.

"Don't take another step." Loly Aivirrne ordered. Despite glaring menacingly at her, I did as she commanded. Grimmjow took his place beside me and crossed his arms, not really caring about anything.

"All of you listen up." Aizen began as he addressed his Arrancar, "I have finally acquired the means to fully tilt the upcoming war in my favor. I won't lie, the Shinigami have been besting us in every test so far. But now we have the upper hand."

I glanced up at Grimmjow who was staring off into the distance, not interested in hearing Aizen's speech.

"Woman, step forward!" Aizen commanded, bringing my attention back to him. I took a step, earning a glare from Loly as I became one step closer to her precious leader, "You are the final piece of my puzzle."

"Yay for me." I muttered quietly as the room erupted in cheers. After his speech, Aizen dismissed us all. I went to follow Grimmjow out of the room but quickly became distracted by a certain melancholic face.

"Ulquiorra!" I exclaimed happily as I skipped over to him and threw my arms around his neck in a surprise embrace. He stiffened in my arms briefly before immediately pushing me away.

"Don't touch me, woman." he hissed. I grinned at him, unfazed by his cold attitude.

"That was pretty dumb." commented a young boy a little shorter than me. He had golden eyes and scruffy black hair, the remnants of his Hollow mask resembling a sabre-tooth tiger's skull.

"She is dumb." Grimmjow muttered from my side as he joined us. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly at him. I shrugged at his comment,

"You're just pissed because I got the better of you." I replied, "And don't lie, you liked it."

"Shut up." he warned making my grin grow wider. Ulquiorra's constant frown deepened at our banter. I wondered if he considered me as trash already. Ulquiorra always seemed cold and harsh, but there was just something that made me like him. I guess I had a soft spot for the strong, silent types.

"I can't even see why Aizen-sama brought back this chick. She looks weaker than a normal human." Ggio huffed as he crossed his arms. Ulquiorra's green eyes narrowed slightly at the remark,

"Come with me." he ordered sternly causing Ggio, Grimmjow and I to blink at him curiously. Still, if Ulquiorra wanted me to go with him, I wasn't about to object. He turned and began walking towards the exit, only to stop after a few steps, "You too, Grimmjow."

"Why me?" the 6th Espada grumbled. Ulquiorra gave him a harsh side-long glare,

"Because I thought you would like the chance to fight her." he replied with a shrug. I tried to hide my smile by looking at the ground - Ulquiorra was purposely bating Grimmjow to get him riled up. However that wouldn't be hard since the two disliked each other.

Grimmjow walked with me behind Ulquiorra along the winding hallways. For the first time since I woke up, I was actually a tiny bit afraid. I had no idea of Aizen had seen in me or if I even had powers. Now Ulquiorra was pitting me against Grimmjow and I wasn't sure if I would survive. I glanced up at Grimmjow's impassive face,

"Hey," I whispered just loud enough for him to hear, a blue eye slid to my face, "you won't kill me, right?"

Grimmjow frowned at my new weakness, "You're kidding right? What do you think will happen to me if I kill you?" he hissed back. He had a point. Aizen seemed to be convinced that I was the last piece of his puzzle, he wouldn't be too happy if I was to die during a test. Suddenly Grimmjow sighed deeply,

"Anyway, I don't want to kill you."

"Really?" I felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from me. Suddenly I felt butterflies in my stomach, perhaps I had sparked something within him when I kissed him earlier.

"Yeah. I just want to get you back for that shit you pulled before." he replied with his signature sadistic grin. My stomach dropped. I'd only succeeded in pissing him off. Nice, Ren.

Finally we reached a training room, Ulquiorra moved to the side as Grimmjow stood at the opposite end of where we came in.

"Grimmjow, don't use your sword. She's no use to us dead." Ulquiorra ordered. Grimmjow rolled his eyes in annoyance and dropped his sword to the ground,

"I wasn't gonna anyway." he muttered. My confidence returned as his sword clattered to the ground. This was just going to be hand-to-hand, I could handle that. His strength and speed would be far greater than mine but at least I stood more of a chance against him. As soon as Ulquiorra gave the word, Grimmjow flew at me. I barely dodged his attack as I darted around, trying to get behind him.

"Stop fighting like a human!" Grimmjow demanded as he threw another punch aimed at my face. I stopped briefly - I didn't know how to fight like anything else. I'd only woken up mere hours ago and already I was being forced to do something I didn't even know if I could do. In that instant I let fear grip me for a fraction of a second - one second too long. Grimmjow's foot connected hard with my ribs and sent me hurtling into the wall. I lay against it winded, my ribs screaming with every breath.

"Get up." he demanded as he stood in the middle of the room. I didn't move, "Get up or I'll make you get up." My eyes slid to Ulquiorra's cold face. He wasn't impressed at all and I knew if I didn't do something soon, he would report that I was just trash to Aizen and then I really will die...again. Forcing my body to move with all of my willpower, I slowly got to my feet, using the wall for support. Grimmjow grinned widely and flew at me again, not giving me time to get even an ounce of strength back. If this punch hit I would be in serious trouble. I knew this was the deciding point where Ulquiorra would have enough data on my abilities to decide if I was really useful. I couldn't fail. Not this time.

But it was too late. Grimmjow was right on top of me, his fist flying full speed towards my face and I was out of options. Resigned to my fate I did the only thing I could think to do and put my hand in front of my face to soften the blow. That's when something abnormal happened, an occurrence that surprised even Ulquiorra.

_'Stop.' _Time seemed to stop as my hand encased Grimmjow's fist, stopping him in his tracks. My hand tingled like it had been numb for a few hours. Grimmjow's fine blue brows knitted as he stared at me in disbelief, a look I was sure I shared.

"What...?" I whispered. Suddenly there was a low voice in my head telling me what to do next. _'Push.' _It commanded softly. My body responded before I could even think about my next move and then Grimmjow was flying backwards through the air. I stared at my hand fascinated by the power buzzing inside. What was going on? I was vaguely aware of Grimmjow getting to his feet in the distance. _What is going on?_

_'Oh, so you've finally noticed me. Jeez, after all these years...I was really about to give up on you.'_ My eyes went wide at the answer. The hell was going on?!

_'No time to space out! He's coming!'_ The voice yelled snapping my attention back to Grimmjow. By following the directions of the voice in my head I was able to avoid serious injury each time he attacked. Sometimes I would be too slow or move the wrong way resulting in a painful connection, but still it was better than being flung like a ragdoll around the room. After a few more minutes, Ulquiorra told us to stop. He'd gathered enough data for now. Grimmjow stood in his original place panting, sweat had dampened his hair and dripped down his face to his exposed chest. Our duel had affected him more than me, something I found strange. Yet as Ulquiorra left the room, the determination in his blue eyes shone stronger.

"I get the feeling you want to keep going." I said earning a sly grin from the Espada.

"So do you." he replied with a shrug, "Now that depressing bastard has gone, what say we have a little more fun, hmm?"

_'Heh, this brat has no idea of our power. Let's give him a taste.' _The voice sang excitedly. Although it was still terribly strange, I felt myself smiling at his encouragement. I watched anxiously as Grimmjow moved to retrieve his sword and slid it into his sash,

"Let's do this." I said and ran towards him. Grimmjow effortlessly dodged my punches and kicks with feline grace and as we fought I came to understand him more. He truly enjoyed fighting, even if we both weren't serious, and he seemed to have a code. Still he had no convictions about beating a girl, that was made clear when he'd kicked me into a wall earlier. However, that kick could have easily crushed me so I knew it wasn't even half his strength.

After reaching a stalemate, I pushed away from him to get a new game plan.

_'Fight him seriously!'_ The voice demanded, _'He's strong enough to take it, trust me.' _Panting, I brushed my fringe out of my face and looked at the ground, thinking. Big mistake. Rule one was never take your eyes off your enemy, and I had just broken it. Grimmjow was on me in a instant, we flew through the air and crashed into the ground. Air rushed from my lungs and I became dizzy. Instinct took over as I lost power over my rational mind. I pushed against his chest, power shot from my hand again and sent him up into the air. As if my body was now on auto-pilot, I sprang to my feet and leaped after him. Before I knew it I was hovering above him and bringing my leg down towards his abdomen. Naturally he blocked, but it wasn't enough to stop the force from sending him crashing to the ground again.

I landed to the side as Grimmjow sat up coughing. Blood was dripping out of the corner of his mouth, down to his chin. I gasped at what I had done to the 6th Espada. He wiped the blood away and flashed a terrifying grin,

"I guess this means we're gonna fight seriously now, huh?" he asked. I sucked in a breath, this was exactly what the voice in my head wanted. A serious fight. But I wasn't sure I could do that. Especially with someone I liked - now if I was fighting Nnoitra I would have no problem beating his creepy ass into the ground. Or at least trying to.

_'Don't worry. You won't die.'_ The voice reassured me, _'I won't let you.'_ Even with his promise, it wasn't my life I was concerned about. Although I didn't fully understand how strong I was, I was strong enough to make him bleed which meant I had the potential to beat him. That was something I didn't want.

_'I told you before, he can take it. Now fight!'_ The voice demanded. I searched Grimmjow's eyes and all I saw was excitement and determination. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't angry either - he was having fun. That's when I realized that if I didn't fight seriously, he couldn't and where was the fun in that?

_'Now you get it.'_ The voice taunted playfully. I rolled my shoulders, preparing myself for the serious duel I was about to have. The air around us shifted and became electrified. This time Grimmjow charged first, his attacks were faster and had way more power behind them. Our sparring match lasted for another 30 minutes until we were both exhausted and laying on our backs on the floor.

"You're stronger than I thought you were, woman." Grimmjow said through breaths. I smiled at the ceiling, I was just as surprised as he was. My arms ached, my ribs hurt with each breath and I couldn't move my legs but I was happy. Being on par in hand-to-hand combat with Grimmjow.

I collapsed on my bed exhausted. It had been an effort just to walk to my room but the soft fluffy mattress that I was rapidly sinking into was well worth the exertion. My room was massive, easily the size of my whole apartment in the Real World. The walls were a depressing grey and stood bare except for one window in the center of the back wall which allowed the moonlight to shine through. I had a large grey wardrobe that I hadn't yet inspected, a grey metal desk completely with white chair, books, and a couch that, surprise surprise, was grey. I had a grey boring room.

I closed my eyes and decided I should probably try to talk to the voice in my head. I hadn't had much time before to do any kind of interrogation since I would have been pounded into the ground if I was distracted.

"Uh...Hi, Mr Voice..." I called unsurely and immediately felt like an idiot, "Great, now I'm talking to a voice in my head. Someone call the mental hospital."

_'I could point out that talking to yourself is worse.'_ The voice laughed making me jump.

"Oh my god." I gasped, "Could you give me a warning before you do that?!"

_'Like what, ring a bell? I'm afraid the best I can do is badly imitate a telephone.'_ he replied and then proceeded to sing a series of beeps and ringing noises.

"Okay, okay! I get it." I yelled trying to get him to stop. I dropped my head in my hands, this was beyond crazy. I was talking, out loud, to a voice in my head. Nothing about this seems normal at all.

_'You're not crazy.'_ the voice said, his tone shifting to a serious one, _'My name is Yurushi. I'm your power.'_

"Forgiveness? Your name is forgiveness?" I asked skeptically. I could feel the frown in his tone,

_'Is there something wrong with that?'_

"No. It's just...odd." I said honestly. The voice - Yurushi - sighed,

_'Feeble minded humans...'_ he muttered, '_Anyway, close your eyes. I wish to speak with you properly.'_ I shrugged and did as he asked, letting his comment slide for now. I felt like I had my eyes closed for hours, and then suddenly I was in a white room. Just like my room in Las Noches, everything was white; the walls, the floor, even the couch. As my eyes scanned the room, I spotted a tall, lean man sitting on the couch. He, like the room, was dressed in all white. He wore a white hakama that was ripped and frayed at the bottom, a long sleeved, feathery white shirt that exposed his collarbone, and was barefoot. His long black hair was was tied in a ponytail on top of his head and cascaded down his back, his fringe was parted to the left and his bangs framed his fine featured face.

"Yurushi?" I asked cautiously. He arched an eyebrow as if to say 'who else?'. I blinked several times at him - damn my 'power' was hot.

"I can hear your thoughts, you know." He said with an amused little smirk. I turned bright crimson and looked at my feet. I suddenly became painful aware that I still hadn't found proper clothes and was wandering around, barefoot, in my underwear with only a lab coat to hide my exposed skin.

"Erica, we have much to discuss. Now isn't the time to be worried about being indecently exposed." Yurushi said calmly and patted the cushion next to me. I pursed my lips and begrudgingly sat beside him, still feeling very self-conscious.

"Okay, so," I took a breath and got into the right head-space, "tell me everything."


	3. Chapter 3

"So you're saying I'm even more powerful than the Espada?" I asked letting everything Yurushi had just told me sink in. Apparently, I was similar to Orihime only in the context that we both had god-like powers. She had the power to reject reality, but from what I could understand I was stronger still.

Yurushi nodded once, his clear blue eyes piercing as he turned to face me on the couch, folding his long legs underneath him.

"I'm saying you're more powerful than Aizen Sousuke himself. Far more." he said, "Well, you have the potential to be. Naturally you'll need training."

I swallowed the lump that had been building in my throat. More powerful than Aizen? Did that mean that I didn't have to work for him?

"Exactly." Yurushi said with a smile, "However right now you're only as strong as the Sexta."

"That's still pretty good though, right? Since I only just woke up..." I said trying to make myself believe that it was a good thing. However the look Yurushi gave me was making it difficult. He sighed deeply,

"You're stronger than most of the Arrancar and Shinigami, yes. But in comparison you only have one fifth of your true strength." he said sternly, "I tried to help you unlock more of your power in the fight earlier, but it didn't work."

"But you're my power." I said not really understanding what he was saying. Yurushi nodded,

"I am, but you also have power that comes from you and you alone. You need to unlock that power in order to fully use me." he clarified. I looked at my hands; all this was getting very tiring and confusing.

"I can help you do that, but it will be difficult." Yurushi continued when I didn't say anything, "There are others who can train you...us."

"I think I just want to sleep right now." I said as the room began to fade to black. Yurushi placed his hand on my knee tenderly,

"As you wish." he said although he looked a disappointed, "I will be here." I nodded and the room disappeared. I opened my eyes to see my grey boring ceiling. The light from the moon made it seem more silver than grey. I sighed and rolled onto my side, the events of the past several hours finally catching up to me as my brain began to process ever bit of information.

I had been killed by Aizen Sousuke, and had my soul taken to Hueco Mundo where I'd woken up, kissed 6th Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, flirted with Aizen a little and hugged 4th Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. I'd then been ordered to spar with Grimmjow which awakened a power within me, a power named Yurushi, and discovered that I could be stronger than Aizen. It sounded crazy, even to me and I was living it, yet somehow still made a lot of sense.

I awoke to the feeling of eyes burning into my flesh making me feel very uncomfortable. Slowly I blinked opened my eyes and sat up, stretching and yawning. Mid-yawn I noticed two people standing at the foot of my bed and gave a small, surprised yelp.

"Forgive me," Aizen said with a smirk, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"How long were you standing there?!" I said quickly covering myself with the blanket.

"Not long." he said vaguely, "More importantly, now that you're awake I want you to come with me. Ulquiorra has given me a report on your powers and now I wish to study them more." I blinked at him and then to the person still concealed in shadows. I could only guess who it was and my skin prickled.

"Szayelaporro Granz?" I asked, the person stepped forward revealing the calm faced, pink haired Espada. I winced subconsciously, "Will it hurt?"

"Not at all." he replied, "Well maybe a little." I shivered, already not fond of where this was headed.

"I'll agree on one condition." I said finding my last shred of bravery. Aizen arched a fine eyebrow at my defiance.

"I'll indulge you this once." he said thoughtfully, "Speak it."

"I want someone there to make sure he," I said pointing at the young scientist, "doesn't go over board."

"How rude." Szayelaporro said with a predatory grin and a shake of his head, "Insinuating that I should forget my task and end up dicing you into fine pieces to study."

"And who did you have in mind for this?" Aizen asked ignoring the scientist's banter. I thought for a moment, but only for a moment.

"Grimmjow." I announced, out of all the Arrancar I trusted him the most, and had developed some kind of bond with him already. Aizen hummed thoughtfully but shook his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. I've already tasked Grimmjow with another job." he said apologetically, although I knew it was a lie. But he wasn't about to let me go unprotected, "Would Ulquiorra make an acceptable substitute?"

I pursed my lips thinking. Ulquiorra had more control over his emotions, that was true enough, but I didn't trust him as much as I trusted Grimmjow. However I knew I didn't have the luxury to argue. It was Ulquiorra or nothing and I'd rather not be on my own with Szayelaporro. Ultimately, I had nothing against the man, but that didn't mean I wanted to be experimented on.

"Fine. But I'd like to talk to him before we start." I demanded, then remembered my manners after getting a stern look from Aizen, "If that's okay?"

"It will take me some time to prepare." Szayelaporro informed Aizen as the Shinigami considered my request.

Aizen nodded, "Very well. Ulquiorra's on the roof I believe." he said as the two turned to leave my room. As the door opened, Aizen called back to me, "Oh and Ren, you might want to put something a little less revealing on, at least until your tests." I blushed as the door closed.

The clothes in my wardrobe were multiple sets of the same uniform. White shorts with an apron type skirt that reached to my knees, a white top that stopped at my midriff and had one sleeve that clung to my arm all the way down to my wrist while the other didn't go below my shoulder. My shoes were like Loli's and reached to my thigh, and the final piece of my uniform was a white hooded cloak coat that I decided to leave hanging in the wardrobe. I decided that I should probably tie my hair up as well. After brushing my black hair, I tied it up like Yurushi had his, letting it sit over my left shoulder. I left my white bangs free to frame my face nicely. I felt very samurai-ish, minus the katana.

_'That style suits you.'_ Yurushi commented as I checked myself in the mirror to make sure everything was in place. I smiled and silently thanked him before heading out to find Ulquiorra. Just as Aizen had said, he was on the roof sitting in the shade of a building.

"For fake sunlight, it's kinda hot out here." I remarked as I stood next to him.

"You get used to it." he replied coldly, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I figure you already know what's happening to day?" I asked. Ulquiorra stood and nodded once,

"Aizen-sama has informed me." he replied. I moved to stand in front of him and looked him in the eye.

"I don't really know about your relationship with Szayelaporro, and I don't really care either. All I want you to do is stop him however you like if he gets too carried away with his experiments. I don't trust him and don't want to end up as a brainless, drooling invalid."

Ulquiorra's gaze stayed blank as he tilted his head to the side, "You don't trust him but you trust me to 'stop' him?"

"Actually, I don't really trust you much either, but I know that you follow orders." I confessed. Ulquiorra sighed and began walking back inside,

"I'll stop him, but that doesn't mean we're friends." he said coldly. I felt slightly more relaxed knowing that Ulquiorra was going to be watching over the experiments. But that quickly evaporated when I was faced with Szayelaporro's lab. Verona and Lumina were flitting around helping Szayelaporro get set up, prepping the instruments and such. Ulquiorra was standing to the side, out of the way, with his hands in the pockets of his hakama, looking bored.

"Ah, you're here." the scientist said turning around from his computer at the sound of the door whooshing shut behind me, "Please remove your uniform and lie down."

"When you say remove my uniform..." I began, already not liking where this was going.

"I mean take everything off, yes." he said with a wave of his hand before turning back to his computer. I glanced over at Ulquiorra, his green eyes were focused on what Verona was doing. Swallowing my fear and discomfort, I began taking off my clothes slowly. The air in the lab was cold on my newly exposed skin giving my goosebumps. The steel gurney didn't make it anything better as I lay down. Suddenly Szayelaporro's face was above me, smirking.

"Aren't you perky." he commented airily, making me blush and try to cover myself, but Verona and Lumina held my arms down and shackled them to the stretcher.

"Don't worry about the restraints, they're for your safety, not mine." Szayelaporro said as his eyes roamed my body, "Well you're very fit, I can see that." He poked my stomach with a gloved finger making me flinch.

"Relax please." he ordered softly. I frowned,

"Kinda hard when I'm about to go through God knows what." I replied harshly. He attempted a kind smile but it only seemed creepy to me,

"You have nothing to worry about. I'll be talking you through each test as we go, and I won't be doing anything too extreme. Yet." he said.

"That's comforting." I muttered sarcastically. Szayelaporro ignored me and disappeared for a moment. When he came back, he had a stethoscope draped around his neck.

"First, I'm going to do just a routine full body examination to see how healthy you are." he said as he put the two buds into his ear and pressed the speaker end to my chest. I flinched at the cold metal on my skin.

"Breathe in." he said then after a moment he told me to breathe out. This continued for a minute before disappeared again. When he returned, he began checking my glands on my neck and from there his hands glided down my arms, squeezing and pressing, then down my sides to my abdomen.

"Is there any pain or discomfort?" he asked curiously. I shook my head and closed my eyes, the light was beginning to blind me. Suddenly I jumped as his gloved hands groped my breasts.

"Please relax." he cautioned, "I did say this was a full body examination." I swallowed and clenched my fists against the discomfort as Szayelaporro's hands slowly and skillfully massaged my breasts one at a time. After several more agonizingly slow seconds he stopped,

"Well you'll be glad to know that I found no strange lumps, so you're cancer free."

"Gee, thanks." I muttered still feeling slightly violated from the fondling. Szayelaporro chuckled and then told me to open my mouth and say 'ahh' as he stuck a wooden probe into my mouth. It left a weird taste in my mouth. The rest of the examination went by normally without any weird surprises.

"You're quite healthy." he said leaning over me once again, "I'm quite surprised."

"Why, because I'm dead?" I asked. Szayelaporro shook his head,

"Your physical body in the Real World is dead, you aren't. And I'm surprised because usually forcibly removing the soul of a living body leaves scars, both mentally and physically. But physically, you're fine. Everything is normal." he replied.

"Let me guess, now you're going to examine my mental state?" I asked. He nodded,

"But you'll be asleep for it so you won't feel a thing." he said, "Actually, you should already be starting to feel sleepy." As if his words were a spell, my eyes became heavy and my vision blurred. When did he give me anesthetic?

"What are you doing?" I heard Ulquiorra ask distantly, as if the laboratory was miles away. Szayelaporro looked up, his mouth moving in a reply but no words came out. I couldn't fight against the sleep any more and darkness enveloped me.

When I woke up I was lying in my own bed, fully clothed. I did a quick check to see if any part of my body was sore - I had a slight headache and felt dehydrated, and my right arm was numb but that was it. Slowly, I pushed myself out of bed and assessed myself in the mirror. Anger raced through me, boiling white hot hatred, as I saw the white bandage around my middle.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me?!" I growled angrily at my reflection. My anger rapidly turned to worry as I remembered Yurushi. Closing my eyes I raced towards his white room and flung open the door violently. He was lying on the couch, his feathery white shirt had been torn round the middle and exposed his abdomen. He was sporting a similar bandage to mine.

"Yurushi!" I cried as I dropped to my knees beside him. A soft moan escaped his lips as he blinked open his clear blue eyes,

"Ouch..." he groaned huskily, "Erica?"

"Are you okay?" I asked fearing more for him than myself. He nodded and tried to sit up, wincing in pain. I held him down,

"Don't sit up, Yurushi." I told him gently. His body felt hot as if he had a fever. He nodded and closed his eyes again, trying to deal with the pain. My eyes shifted to the white bandage, black liquid was beginning to seep through and I wondered if he was bleeding. I wanted to look at his wound but I couldn't find the strength. Instead I clutched his hand tightly, Granz would pay for this.

Yurushi's breathing became shallower and rapid. He looked so weak lying there, and it broke my heart. Suddenly the room began to shake like an earthquake was rumbling it's supports, and started to darken. I felt myself being pulled away from him. I tried to hang onto his hand but it was futile.

"Ren!" a voice echoed as the ceiling began to collapse. My eyes began to swell with tears as I gazed at Yurushi's impassive face. Abruptly I was completely wrenched out of the room and pulled backwards into the darkness, only being able to watch as the room collapsed around Yurushi.

"Ren, wake up you stupid bitch!" someone demanded as they shook me awake. Cold blue eyes glared into mine as my mind returned to me.

"Grimmjow?" I asked frowning. He gripped the sides of my head hard,

"The fuck were you doing?" he asked angrily as he checked me over.

"I was with Yurushi!" I screamed at him, "Why did you pull me away, you idiot?!" Grimmjow stepped back, shocked at my apparent sudden outburst, "Never mind. Where the hell is Granz?"

I pushed out of Grimmjow's hold and marched out of my room in search of the soon-to-be-dead pink haired scientist. I headed straight for his laboratory and broke down the door. Verona squealed in complete surprise as I held him against the wall, my hand encasing his throat.

"Where's Granz?" I growled, my voice sounding unfamiliar, beast-like. Verona wheezed and grasped feebly at my arm, trying to loosen my grip.

"One." I cautioned, tightening my hold, "Two..."

"In. In-fir-mary." Verona wheezed painfully. I dropped the fat Arrancar to the ground to splutter and cough. Grimmjow stood in the hole I'd created, watching me curiously. I ignored him and continued down the hall to the infirmary. This time I didn't have to touch the door to force it open; the nurses inside all coward in fear as I walked in. I could feel the power radiating out of me, electrifying the air in dark waves.

"Granz." I hissed. They pointed to a curtained off area in the far corner of the room. Ripping open the curtains, I readied myself for some kind of retaliation. However, what I found was Szayelaporro unconscious on the bed. My anger dissipated instantly as my eyes assessed his injuries. His right arm had been dislocated and his left had fresh stitches around his bicep where it had been reattached. He also had severe burns on his body, and his face was badly beaten. Someone had beat me to the punch...literally.

"You're awake." commented a cool and disinterested voice. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Ulquiorra." I whispered, "What happened?"

"I stopped him." he replied simply coming to stand beside me casually.

"You did this?" I asked but I really didn't need an answer to know.

"Yes. You started screaming, so I thought it was prudent to stop the experiment." he replied. I looked up at him, his green eyes were on Szayelaporro's face but he didn't seem to care about whether the scientist would recover or not. I thought back to the experiments; I could remember my discomfort as his hands moved over my body, then feeling sleepy. After that I had to fight some of his Fracción so he could gauge my power, had to do a series of cognitive tests. Then I was sleepy again.

"What did he do to me?" I asked softly. Ulquiorra finally looked at me, the expression on his face could almost be called pity as his gaze briefly landed on my bandages. He lazily raised his hand from his pockets and pointed,

"Underneath that thing you'll find a wound that stretches across your middle, from your left to your right side. As he mentioned before, he spoke as he worked, I suppose you remember that. I became wary when he stopped talking and injected you with more anesthetic." he said.

"You let him cut into me?" I asked incredulously. Ulquiorra sighed and nodded,

"I wasn't sure what he was doing. I would rather have solid reasoning before destroying him. As I said before, you screamed and I stopped him. I shot him first with a Cero, then before he had a chance to retaliate, ripped off his left arm and dislocated his right. I then proceeded to beat him with his own severed limb until he was unconscious, stitched and bandaged your wound, dressed you and put you to bed."

Inside, my emotions were a spiraling whirlpool of conflict. I was surprised, embarrassed, furious and thankful all at once, yet at the same time I felt calm. With a ragged breath I sat on a nearby vacant bed and ran a hand through my fringe,

"Do you have an idea of what he was doing to me?" I asked him. Ulquiorra's face stayed unemotional as he replied,

"I believe he called it a simultaneous examination." I frowned immediately understanding; Szayelaporro hadn't been examining me, he wanted to look at Yurushi. That was why I was under anesthetic and why Yurushi had been injured and in pain. My heart seized as I remembered his agony.

"Yurushi..." I whispered to my clenched hands.

"I've informed Aizen-sama and he was satisfied with the action I took. Grimmjow will be looking after you until you've properly healed." Ulquiorra informed me turning and walking out of the infirmary. I glanced up at his back only to find Grimmjow leaning against the wall, glaring menacingly. Even in my current state, I had to admit he looked very sexy standing there. I found myself subconsciously following his waistband of his hakama as it hung off his hips. Quickly I shook my head, then dropped my head to my hands as my headache caught up to me. I needed to rest. Pushing off the bed I began to walk back to my room, but I had used too much strength in my hate-fueled search for vengeance. I fell heavily against the wall, my pounding head spinning. Something warm wet my stomach. Looking down I saw that the white bandage was now dyed crimson, I'd pulled my stitches.

"You're such an idiot." Grimmjow chastised as he pulled my arm around his neck and lifted me effortlessly into his arms.

"Shut up." I muttered weakly as he carried me down the hall.

"Sorry, woman, but I'm callin' the shots now." he said sternly. I pouted involuntarily and rested my head against his shoulder. His scent ensnared my senses; smokey earth spices mixed with a deep musk. Like bourbon and dark chocolate.

"My name is Ren." I grumbled, "Not bitch or woman. Ren."

"I know." he replied, his chest rumbling deeply as he spoke.

"Then why don't you use it?" I asked becoming annoyed.

"Because that would mean I respect you," he replied matter-of-factly, "and I don't."

I scoffed and smirked secretly against his shoulder; although he'd said that, Grimmjow had called my name already. I would keep quite for now, but I knew the time would come when he would be forced to admit it.


End file.
